Building construction.



PATENTED MAR. 19, 1907. G. A. REED 6r, A. H. STEM.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION;

APLIoATI'oN FILED` JUNE 8,-1906.

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No. s47,692.

PATENTED MAR. 19, 1907. G. A. REED '& A. H. STEM.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

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vNTTD STATES TENT oEEioE. 3

CHARLES A. REED, oE NEw YORK, N. Y., AND ALLEN n. STEM, oE sT. PAUL,

MINNESOTA,

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.zlatented lVIarch 19, 1907.

Application filed .Tune S, 1966. Serial No. 320,718.

sota, have invented certain new and usefuly Improvements in BuildingConstruction, of

which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of buildings;and the principal object of the invention is to provide a buildinghaving a large auditorium that may be quickly changed into a smallauditorium provided with a stage by moving certain parts of the buildingwhich will harmonize and form a part of the architectural ei'i'ect ofthe building when used for either purpose.

The invention consists generally in providing an auditorium withhorizontal movable wall-sections including seating or other desirableparts of an auditorium.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a building with anauditorium or audience-room having a removable proscenium wall or arch,which may be placed in position when the room is divided into two partsby the horizontally-movable seating-sections and which may be removedwhen the room is converted into a single auditorium.

Other objects of the invention will appear -from the Jfollowing detaileddescription,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a horizontal section ofan auditorium embodying our invention, themovable box and balcony-section being in position to permit the entireroom to be used as a single auditorium and the proscenium wall and archbeing removed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the movable box andbalcony- Fig. 3 is a transverse section showing the balcony in itsforward position and the proscenium wall and arch in position. Fig. 4 isa similar view showing the balcony in its back position and theprosceniumwall and arch removed. Figs. 5 land 6 are details of themovable balcony.

Fig. 7 is a detail showing the means for receiving the proscenium-archwhen the same is not in use. Figs. S and 9 are detail sections showingmeans for removing the proscenium-walls while the arch is permanentlyfixed in position.

In all of the drawings, 2 represents an au" dience-room or auditorium ofany preferred size and shape. This room may be used as a singleauditorium, as shown in Fig. l, or we may divide it into two parts, onepart forming a small auditorium and the other part forming a stage. Anysuitable seating arrangement may be provided for either part of theroom. The part of the room marked 3 in the drawings formsthe stage, andthe part marked 4 forms a small auditoriumwhen the room is divided. Wehave here shown the part 3 of the room surrounded on three sides bysuitable boxes 18, and we have also shown this part of the room providedabove the .boxes with a balcony 19, having the floor 20 thereof arrangedin steps, upon which suitable seats may be placed. The part 4 of theroom is also preferably provided with boxes on three sides and with agallery 21 and 'a balcony 22, the balcony 22 being preferably on thesame level with the balcony 19. Y

For the purpose of dividing the room into two parts when a smallauditorium and stage are desired we provide upon each side of the room ahorizontally-removable seating-section '23. This is preferably formedwith boxes 25 below, corresponding to the fixed boxes 18, and with abalcony-section 26 above the boxes, corresponding to the balconies 19and 22. 'These movable'sections may be swung back against the wall ofthe building, as shown in Fig. 1, where they stand parallel with saidwall, or they may be swung forward into the position shown in Fig. 2,where they serve to divide the large room into two parts, with astage-opening between their innermost portions. These'movableseatingsections provide an architectural feature common to both thelarge auditorium and the small auditorium, and they permitthe changefrom one to the other to be uickly made. They also harmonize and orm apart of the architectural effect of the building when used for eitherpurpose. While we have shown these movable sections provided with boxesbelow and balcony-sections above, it will be understood that any seatingarrangement may be provided therein that will conform to the seatingarrangement of the other part of the building. We also prefer to providein connection with `the hori- IOO zontally-movable seating-sectionsmovable proscenium walls 6 and arch 7, and we prefer to make these wallsvertically movable. Ve have shown and prefer to use a pit 8, arrangeddirectly below the proscenium walls and arch and adapted to have saidwalls and arch lowered into it, thereby bringing the top 9 of the archon a level with the floor 10 of the part 3 of the room` The top of thearch closes the pit when the walls and arch are lowered into the pit.The portion of the pit that receives the arch has preferably a levelfloor and serves as an orchestra-pit when the proscenium walls and archare in use. l/Ve prefer to employ an I-beam 11, which forms a supportfor said walls when lowered into the pit. (See Fig. 7.) 7e prefer alsoto counterbalance said walls and arch by means of weights 12, attachedto suitable cords or cables 13, that pass over pulleys 14, and we alsoprefer to provide a suitable windlass 15, having a cord or cable 16,provided with a hook 17, adapted to engage a suitable stud or otherconnection in the top of the arch, whereby by turning said windlass theprocenium walls and arch may be raised and lowered together.

When the movable seating-sections are moved inward to the position shownin Fig. 2 and the proscenium walls and arch are in their elevatedposition, the part 3 ol the room may be used as a stage, and this partof the room is therefore preferably revided with a level orsubstantially level i'loor 10, while the part 4 of this room is providedwith an inclined or sloping floor, which slopes toward theproscenium-wall and is adapted to have suitable seats supported thereon.

Instead o1e providing the removable proscenium walls and arch we may, ifpreferred, provide a lived arch or a iixed cross-piece at the top of theproscenium-opening, in which case we employ vertically-movablewall-sections 32. These sections may be raised above the ceiling of theroom or may be lowered into pits provided below the floor to receivethem. (See Figs. 8 and 9.) In each instance we prefer to counterbalancethe wall-sections and to provide a suitable windlass for raising andlowering the same.

l/Ve also prefer to provide the part 3 of the room, or at least the partof it adjacent to the proscenium walls and arch, with a higher ceilingthan is provided for the part 4 of .the room, so that a suitablestage-loft may be arranged in the rear of the proscenium-walls and abovethe part of the i'loor 10 that con stitutes the stage.

When the movable seating-sections are moved forward and theproscenium-walls are in position, the part of the room in the rear ofthe proscenium-walls serves as a stage and the part 4 of the room formsa medium-sized auditorium.

The building is then adapted for use as a regular theater. When themovable seating-sections are moved back against the side walls, theboxes 25 are in line with the xed boxes at the sides of the room and themovable balcony-sections are in line with the iixed side balconies andthe proscenium-walls are removed. By placing a false floor over theinclined Vlloor in the part 4 of the room a single auditorium with. itsmain floor practically level, with boxes` around the four sides and.with balconies over the boxes extending back over the corriders and witha gallery at one end above the balcony, (which gallery may also extendover the foyer of the building,) is provided.

The main level lloor may be furnished with seats, or this i'loor or anypart or" it may be used as an arena for horse-shows or other exhibitionpurposes.

Il preferred, the ends of the movable seating-sections that are towardthe part 3 of the room may be provided with closed walls, in which casethese walls will form the proscenium-walls when the seating-sections aremoved. forward to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. ln otherwords, the proscenium-walls and the movable sections may be madeintegrally, in which case the proscenium-walls will move horizontallywith the movable seating-sections. This is an obvious modification thatis clearly within the scope of our invention.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination, in an auditorium oraudience-room, of horizontally-mevalle seating-sections arranged. uponopposite sides ol' the room and adapted to be moved toward or from eachother, whereby the room may be divided into two parts with the spacebetween said movable sections forming a stage or proscenium opening.

2. The combination, in an auditorium or audience-room, ofhorizontally-swinging seating-sections arranged upon opposite sides ci'the room and adapted to be moved toward or `from each other whereby theroom may be divided into two parts with the space between said movablesections l'orming a stage or proscenium opening.

3. The combination in an auditorium or audience-room, ol'horizontally-swingin g scating-sections arranged upon opposite sides oi'the room and adapted to be moved toward or from each other, whereby theroom may be divided into two parts with the space between said movablesections forming a stage or proscenium opening, and movableproscenium-walls provided in connection with said swingingseating-sections, substantially as described.

4. The combination in an auditorium or audience-room, withhorizontally-movable seating-sections adapted to be moved toward or fromeach other to divide the room and form a comparatively smallaudience-room oramphitheater and a stage, the space be lOO IOS

llO

tween said movable sections forming a proscenium-openmg, and movableproscenlum- Walls and an arch provided in connection with said movableseating-sections.

5. The combination, vin an auditorium or audience-room, with movableprosceniumwalls, of horizontally-swinging balcony-sections adjacent tosaid walls, for the purpose speci'lied.

6. The combination with an auditorium or audience-room havingseating-sections around the room, two of the opposite sections beingcapable of movement toward one another and out of line with thecontiguous seating-sections to divide the room into two parts and form astage, and a comparativelj,T small audience-room, the space between saidmovable sections forming a stage or proscenium opening, andvertically-movable proscenium-walls provided in connection with saidseating-sections, and means for raising and lowering said walls.

7. The combination, with an auditorium or audience-room, of ,movableseating-sed tions arranged to be moved toward one another to divide theroom into a smaller amphitheater and stage, the space between saidmovable sections forming a stage or proscenium opening, prosceniumwallsand an arch provided in connection with said movable seating-sectionsand adaptedto be moved vertically to an operative or inoperativeposition, and means for raising and lowering` said walls and arch.

8. rThe combination, with an" auditorium or audience-room ofvertically-movable proseenium-walls dividing said room into two parts, apit arranged beneath said proscenium-walls and forming an orchestra-pitwhen the walls are raised, and means Jfor lowering said walls into saidpit, for the purpose specified.

9. The combination, with an auditorium or audienceeroom, ofvertically-movable proscenium walls and arch dividing said room into twoparts, a pit arranged beneath said walls and arch and forming anorchestra-pit when the walls and. arch are raised, and means forlowering said walls and arch into said pit and said arch when loweredclosing the top of said pit, for the purpose speciiied.

10. The combination, with Ian auditorium or audience-room,'ofhorizontally-movable seating-sections and -movable prosceniumwallsdividing said room into two parts, a level floor in the part of the roomat the rear of said' walls, and an inclined iioor sloping toward saidwalls in the other part of the room .and means for raising and loweringsaid walls,

for the purpose speeiiied.

11. rIhe combination in an auditorium or audience-room withhorizontally-movable seating-sections arranged upon opposite sides ofthe room and adapted to be moved toward or from each other to divide theroom into a smaller audience-space and a stage, the space between saidmovable sections forming a stage or prosoenium opening, and movableproscenium-walls provided in connection with said movable sections.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 16th day ofApril, 1906. A

CHARLES A. REED. ALLEN H. STEM. Vitnesses as to Charles A. Reed:

HENRY HoUGrrroN, HARRY O. AUsTiN. Witnesses as to Allen H. Stem:

RALPH Mari-1ER, C. E. VANKiN.

